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Friday, June 15, 2012

I have a bluebird treat for you in this blog post! Two videos of beautiful nestlings as they first leave the nest.

Above: female first brood juvenile pauses for a drink on fledging day.

After observing this bluebird family for the past month, I was determined to at least try to see these nestlings off on their fledging day. If you've ever tried to do this you know that even with dedicated vigilance, this takes a good measure of luck.

Besides being home at the right time and counting the days from hatching (14-18 days to fledging), there are some behaviors that you can watch for that indicate fledging is near. Bluebird family members use a one note contact call to help locate each other. Several days before fledging, the nestlings and family members begin to sound these calls with greater frequency. It becomes very apparent when these calls come from the nestlings in the nestbox. Additionally, as fledging time approaches family members wait for longer intervals between feedings, the juveniles taking their cue from the parents. In this case, the male parent and juveniles visibly perched for longer periods and guarded the nest area and near by trees with greater vigilance and aggression.

It was not uncommon to see the whole family advance to drive away a poor woodpecker who happened to land on their oak tree. This tree is the preferred guard perch and preening area for family members with direct view of the nest and feeding area. It is also the tree that stands the right distance away and in front of the nest box with branches easy to reach and safe for a fledgling's first landing.

Female juvenile (left) and male juvenile visit the bird bath. You can see the edge of the male's bright blue secondary feathers.

The two videos below represent day one and day two of fledging. In the first video, a male is the first nestling to venture out of the nestbox. The video was taken at 7:30 pm and an hour later, near dusk, I witnessed two male nestlings fledge and land in the limbs of the oak.
In the second video you will see the last nestling leave the box the next morning, a pretty female. She is sounding the contact call as she looks at her new surroundings. If you listen carefully, you can also hear the male chipping in the background. Next post: More fun juvenile behavior as family members feed nestlings a day before fledging.

6 comments:

Hi Vickie...the first little one out on the guard looks like he is saying "oh crap, what have I done"? LOL!! Such sweet and delicate little birds and I have seen a brood leave the nest box only once. It was very exciting. I may try bluebird boxes again with the guard you have on yours. I had problems with squirrels chewing the nest box hole.

Absolutely wonderful video clips Vickie. My heart swelled watching both of them, such little sweethearts these Blue Birds. I hope everyone of them thrives for a very long time. I know how much you have enjoyed watching these 2 clutches being raised. What fun~

How funny...The little guy decided to wait for another day. And then, that little girl. Did you see her heart pounding as she is anticipating what to do next? Her family must have applauded as she bravely took flight.

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Bird-banding at Seven Islands

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Vickie Henderson

Artist, writer, photographer and nature enthusiast, I blog about the experiences that inspire my art. My posts include nature observations and my love for the creative process. For more information about my art visit my "More About Me" page.

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Whooping Cranes

Whooping cranes were on the brink of extinction in the early 1940's with only 15 remaining in the population that migrates from their nesting grounds in Canada to the coast of Texas. Today, after many years of help, this population has reached a record number of 266. In order to safeguard this species, biologists are using an innovative method to imprint captive reared Whooping cranes and teach them to migrate behind ultralight aircraft. In this way, Whooping cranes have been restored to the Eastern flyway and a separate wild migrating population has been established. As more and more people have the privilege of seeing these birds, Whooping cranes have become ambassadors for our wetlands and for all species in need of our assistance. Support our wildlife. Select a favorite project, a favorite place, a favorite species and do your part to help our natural world.